The 13th century saw the rise of the Mongols who expanded their dominions ceaselessly, conquering the Jin and Song empires in the south; and through a series of westward expeditions, extended their control to River Danube in Europe. The huge Yuan Empire created by them spanned a large part of Eurasia. East-West communications greatly improved as a result. During this period, many European merchants and missionaries travelled great distances to the ancient “Land of Silk” in the Orient. Among them were two jewellery traders from Venice: the father and uncle of Marco Polo.